Microsoft to integrate Teams into Outlook

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft has started testing a new feature, Teams chat, that it plans to integrate into Outlook soon.

The software giant says the feature will be available for all users in March 2023.

This feature will provide an easy Teams chat experience from Outlook in the context of a meeting for participants to send a quick message or review the chat, reports The Verge.

With this feature, participants and organisers will be able to use the chat integration to discuss a meeting in real-time rather than sending emails back and forth. The tech giant is also planning to include Teams messages in search results in Outlook on the web.

This feature is planned for February, alongside AI-based file suggestions in Teams chats.

Moreover, Teams profile cards will get an expanded view in February, including a person's profile, contact details, LinkedIn information, and more, according to the report.

In addition to the new Outlook and Teams integration, Microsoft Teams recently introduced scheduled send, instant polls in meetings, improved search results, and unread message toggles.

Earlier this month, Microsoft announced a new 'Communities' feature in its video conferencing software 'Teams' on Android and iOS to compete with Facebook groups. The feature allows users to easily post messages to everyone in the group, organise events and add them to the community calendar for everyone to see.